By Jarrod Walley |Staff Writer|
Disadvantaged communities in San Bernardino will receive aid in water processes and treatment from the California State University (CSU) system and its $2.3 million program.
The State Water Resources Control Board donated the grant to the entire CSU system; it focuses on the formation of programs and implementation of grants for students and faculty so that research can be done on the communities in need.
"We use a tool called CalEnviroScreen; it’s a map, that shows us which communities are in need of assistance. Downtown San Bernardino is located in the high category on the map, so it is not just an agricultural/rural phenomenon, but an urban one as … [Read more...] about CSU Water Initiative

By Michael Isberto |Features Editor|
CSUSB has joined the water conservation efforts by holding a water conservation garden workshop on May 19 and May 21 at the John M. Pfau Library.
Water conservation is a widely discussed topic, especially as California is in the midst of a drought.
There are many entities that sponsored the two-day event, including the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, the city of San Bernardino Water Department, the CSUSB Water Resources Institute and the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.
Many of these water conservation agencies have seen the state of California suffer its worst times.
California has seen … [Read more...] about Conservation garden embraces drought

By Kyle Richardson |Staff Writer|
For the last four years, California has been in a severe drought.
Recently, the State has taken action to reduce monthly water usage by 25 percent.
This has slightly helped California’s drought, but there are other ways that Californians can help reduce water consumption.
We should be more cautious in using water.
"I do not really think about the amount of water I use, to be honest," said student Lian Raya.
Ninety percent of the state remains in the drought, down from 97 percent two months ago, according to the United States Drought Monitor.
Recently, this past winter’s El Niño has helped replenished reservoirs and dry conditions.
However, that … [Read more...] about Saving for a rainy day

By Rachel Rundengan |Staff Writer|
Water is of major importance to all living things.
Seventy percent of the human body is made up of water.
So you can imagine just how important water is not only for our health, but also our overall well-being.
Some of you might read this and think that these facts are common knowledge—facts we should have known in grade school.
However, the crisis in Flint, Mich. has shown just how incapable Michigan officials were in understanding the importance of water.
Residents of Flint drank, cooked, and bathed with lead-contaminated water for the past two years.
For months, citizens of Flint could not get anyone to pay attention to the problems … [Read more...] about Clean water a must for all

Chris Cauhapé |Staff Writer|
Worldwide, "nearly 7,000,000 people get a mosquito borne illness each year resulting in greater than 1,000,000 deaths," according to Oxitec.
There are two species of mosquito that spread Zika Fever.
In order to spread the virus, they must first bite an infected human and transmit it to another with a subsequent bite.
These two mosquito species, Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus, are ominously known as the Yellow Fever and the Asian Tiger mosquito. They are black with white stripes—hence "tiger."
Not only do they spread yellow fever, they are also responsible for the spread of the chikungunya virus, dengue, Eastern equine encephalitis and the West … [Read more...] about Zika Virus

By Lauren Pratt |Staff Writer|
Increased water conservation has lead to higher water bills.
As costumers are frugally cutting back, water providers in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area among other parts of the state, have recently informed residents that rates will go up, at least temporarily, according to Yahoo News.
The Department of Water and Power (DWP) also reported that, due to the almost $111 million revenue drop, the city of Los Angeles is implementing a temporary increase of about $2 per month to customers’ bills to recoup its losses.
Other agencies implementing a temporary increase include Contra Costa Water District, the East Bay … [Read more...] about Water companies’ cash runs dry: public pays the bill

By Raequan Harrison |Staff Writer|
National and state parks have part of their funding due to the expiring of the law Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by Congress.
The LWCF’s purpose was to protect wildlife forestries and lands to provide a safe place for the public to visit. State and national parks haven’t always been open to the public. They were opened and maintained by the government under this law.
In 1965, the bill was signed into law “to establish a land and water conservation fund to assist the States and Federal [H. R. 3846] agencies in meeting present and future outdoor recreation demands and needs of the American people, and for other purposes,” according to the … [Read more...] about Congress inaction; land and water fund runs dry

By Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer|
The cost of this in terms of water resources is extreme.
The region’s water pollution will become permanent in five to eight years and would have to be shut down, according to the study.
Among water problems the California State Water Resources Board found high levels of toxic chemicals, including arsenic, thallium and nitrates in water supply wells near the wastewater disposal sites.
“Arsenic and thallium are extremely dangerous chemicals. The fact that high concentrations are showing up in multiple water wells close to wastewater injection sites raises major concerns about the health and safety of nearby residents,” said Timothy Krantz, a … [Read more...] about Polluted groundwater threatens water resources

By Cherae Hunt |Staff Writer|
California is suffering through the worst drought in over 100 years and CSUSB is doing its part to deal with the water crisis.
“We have been in multi-year droughts and extended dry periods a number of times in the past, and we will be in the future. In periods like this there will be shortages, of course, but the state as a whole is not going to run dry in a year or two years,” said Ted Thomas, a spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources according to Los Angeles Times.
Gov. Jerry Brown claimed that “this historic drought demands unprecedented action,” while standing on a patch of dry, brown grass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that is … [Read more...] about Water cuts erode farmers’ livelihood